1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display apparatus, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display apparatus which is reduced in an overall size and a weight thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, information processing devices have rapidly developed to have various shapes and functions with an enhanced data processing speed. In such information processing devices, information processed in the form of an electric signal requires a display device as an interface.
A liquid crystal display apparatus having a light weight and a compact size as compared with a CRT type display device has been developed to achieve full-color and high-resolution performance capabilities. Generally, the liquid crystal display apparatus displays an image according to changes in an arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied to a liquid crystal cell. Visual properties of the liquid crystal display apparatus mainly depend on optical properties, such as birefringence, optical linearity, dichroism and light scattering features, of liquid crystal cells.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a conventional liquid crystal display apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an assembled structure of the liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display apparatus 100 includes a liquid crystal display module 130 for displaying an image upon receiving an image signal, and front and rear cases 110 and 120 for receiving the liquid crystal display module 130 therein. The liquid crystal display module 130 includes a display unit 170 having a liquid crystal display panel for displaying the image and a backlight assembly 150 for providing light to the display unit 170.
The display unit 170 has a liquid crystal display panel 171, data and gate printed circuit boards 176 and 175, and data and gate tape carrier packages 178 and 174.
The liquid crystal display panel 171 includes a thin film transistor substrate 172, a color filter substrate 173 and a liquid crystal (not shown).
The thin film transistor substrate 172 includes a transparent glass substrate on which thin film transistors are formed in a matrix form. Source terminals of the thin film transistors are connected with data lines, and gate terminals are connected with gate lines thereof. Drain terminals are formed with a pixel electrode formed of a transparent conductive material such as Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO).
The color filter substrate 173 is disposed facing the thin film transistor substrate 172. RGB pixels, which are color pixels for emitting predetermined colors when the light passes therethrough, are formed on the color filter substrate 173. A common electrode formed of ITO is coated on an entire surface of the color filter substrate 173.
When a power is applied to the gate terminal and the source terminal of the thin film transistor formed on the thin film transistor substrate 172, and the thin film transistor is turned on, an electric field is generated between the pixel electrode and the common electrode of the color filter substrate 173. The electric field varies an aligning angle of the liquid crystal injected between the thin film transistor substrate 172 and the color filter substrate 173. Accordingly, the light transmission is varied according to the variation of the aligning angle of the liquid crystal, so a desired image can be displayed. In addition, in order to control the aligning angle and the aligning timing of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal display panel 171, a driving signal and a timing signal are applied to the gate and data lines of the thin film transistor.
The backlight assembly 150 is provided below the display unit 170 and uniformly supplies the light into the display unit 170. The backlight assembly 150 includes lamp units 161 and 162 at opposite ends of the liquid crystal display module 130 and generates the light. The backlight assembly 150 further includes a light guiding plate 152 for changing a path of the light while guiding the light to the display unit 170, a plurality of optical sheets 153 for enhancing uniformity of a brightness of the light emitted from the light guiding plate 152, and a reflecting plate 154 which is disposed below the light guiding plate 152 to reflect the light leaked from the light guiding plate 152 to the light guiding plate 152, thereby improving the optical efficiency.
The display unit 170 and the backlight assembly 150 are sequentially received in a mold frame 132, which is received in a bottom chassis 134. In order to prevent the display unit 170 from being separated from the mold frame 132, a top chassis 140 is coupled to the bottom chassis 134.
Then, a shield case (not shown) may be installed at a rear portion of the bottom chassis 134 for shielding electromagnetic waves from an inverter circuit (not shown), which supplies a power to the liquid crystal display module 130. The front case 110 is coupled to the rear case 120 to complete an assembly of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lamp units 161 and 162 and the light guiding plate 152 are completely received in a receiving space of the mold frame 132. A sidewall of the mold frame 132 is outwardly positioned with respect to the lamp units 161 and 162, so that the lamp units 161 and 162 and the light guiding plate 152 are prevented from moving in the receiving space.
However, the above-mentioned conventional liquid crystal display apparatus has following disadvantages.
Firstly, a width of the liquid crystal display apparatus, that is, a width of opposite ends of the liquid crystal display apparatus for receiving the lamp units 161 and 162 is increased by the sum of thickness t1 and t2 of the sidewalls of the mold frame 132. Therefore, an overall width of the liquid crystal display apparatus is remarkably enlarged.
In addition, since the outer portion of the lamp units 161 and 162 is covered with the mold frame 132 having a low thermal conductivity, the heat generated from the lamp units 161 and 162 is not easily discharged.
The present invention remedies the above problems of the prior art in that the invention provides a liquid crystal display module which is reduced in an overall size and a weight thereof.
The invention further provides a liquid crystal display apparatus which is reduced in an overall size and a weight thereof.
Firstly, there is provided a liquid crystal display module having a light generating section for generating a light. A light guiding plate guides the light to a displaying section for displaying an image. A container receives the light generating section and the light guiding plate. A guide member is coupled to first opposite ends of the container for guiding the light generating section and the light guiding plate to receiving positions in the container. The light generating section is placed on at least one end of second opposite ends of the container, the second opposite ends being perpendicular to the first opposite ends of the container. The light generation section directly contacts sidewalls of the second opposite ends of the container.
Secondly, there is provided a liquid crystal display apparatus having a light generating section for generating a light. A light guiding plate guides the light and a brightness improving section improves a brightness of the light emitted from the light guiding plate. A container receives the light generating section, the light guiding plate and the brightness improving section. A guide member is coupled to first opposite ends of the container for guiding the light generating section, light guiding plate and brightness improving section to receiving positions in the container. A fixing section is disposed above the brightness improving section and coupled with the container and the guide member to fix the light guiding plate and the brightness improving section to the container. A displaying section is disposed above the fixing section for displaying an image in response to the light supplied through the brightness improving section. A front case is coupled to a rear case to receive the displaying section therebetween.
The light generating section is placed on at least one end of the second opposite ends of the container, the second opposite ends being perpendicular to the first opposite ends of the container. The light generating section directly contacts sidewalls of the second opposite ends of the container.
The container includes a bottom surface section and a sidewall section, and sidewalls of the first opposite ends of the container coupled with the guide member are partially opened. The sidewalls of the first opposite ends are formed with a perforation hole extending to a portion of the bottom surface section of the container.
The guide member includes a first mold frame coupled to a first end of the first opposite ends of the container and a second mold frame coupled to a second end of the first opposite ends which is opposite the first end. The first mold frame includes a first fixing protrusion which is coupled to the perforation hole formed at a sidewall of the first end, and the second mold frame includes a second fixing protrusion which is coupled to the perforation hole formed at a sidewall of the second end.
Each of upper surfaces of the first and second mold frames are partially depressed to form a recess. The fixing section includes a bottom surface having a fixing projection. The fixing projection is inserted into each of the recesses formed in the first and second mold frames and prevents the guide member from separating from the container.
According to the liquid crystal display module and liquid crystal display apparatus, a lamp cover for protecting a lamp is disposed directly contacting a first sidewall of a bottom chassis. The light guiding plate and optical sheets are prevented from moving by a guide frame, which is disposed at a second sidewall of the bottom chassis perpendicular to the lamp.
Therefore, the size of the liquid crystal display apparatus can be reduced by a thickness of the sidewall of a mold frame compared with conventional liquid crystal display apparatus employing the conventional mold frame. In addition, since a mold frame having a low thermal conductivity does not exist between the lamp cover and the sidewall of the bottom chassis, the heat generated from the lamp can be easily discharged.